Semiconductor device capable of monitoring internal signal and method for driving the same

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes an internal signal processing block suitable for generating an internal enable signal and an internal control signal that correspond to an external enable signal and an external control signal, and a monitoring unit suitable for outputting a monitoring signal that corresponds to a predetermined internal signal, based on the internal enable signal and the internal control signal, in an initial operation period.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A semiconductor device comprising:
 an internal signal processing block generating an internal enable signal and an internal control signal that are asynchronized with a clock signal according to an external enable signal and an external control signal; and 
 a monitoring unit outputting a monitoring signal that corresponds to a predetermined internal signal, based on the internal enable signal and the internal control signal, in a specific operation period, 
 wherein the specific operation period includes a period in which a clock enable signal is in an undefined state or a deactivated state, and 
 wherein the clock enable signal includes a signal for controlling the input of the clock signal. 
 
     
     
       2. The semiconductor device of  claim 1 , wherein the specific operation period includes an initialization period and/or a boot-up period, which are subsequent to a power-up period. 
     
     
       3. The semiconductor device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an internal voltage generation block generating an internal voltage corresponding to an operation control signal, wherein the internal voltage generation block is initialized based on a power-up signal; and 
 a fuse block outputting a predetermined fuse signal based on a boot-up signal, 
 wherein the predetermined internal signal includes one of the power-up signal, the operation control signal, the boot-up signal, and the fuse signal. 
 
     
     
       4. The semiconductor device of  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring unit outputs the monitoring signal based on the internal enable signal and the internal control signal, in a normal operation period after the specific operation period. 
     
     
       5. A semiconductor device comprising:
 a first pad selectively outputting a monitoring signal and a data signal, wherein the data signal is generated according to one or more signals asynchronized with a clock signal; and 
 a monitoring unit outputting a first internal signal to be monitored as the monitoring signal, in a specific operation period, 
 wherein the specific operation period includes a period in which a clock enable signal is in an undefined state or a deactivated state, and 
 wherein the clock enable signal includes a signal for controlling the input of the clock signal. 
 
     
     
       6. The semiconductor device of  claim 5 , wherein the specific operation period includes an initialization period and/or a boot-up period, which are subsequent to a power-up period. 
     
     
       7. The semiconductor device of  claim 5 , wherein the monitoring unit outputs the monitoring signal to the pad or outputs the data signal corresponding to a second internal signal to the pad based on a data width option signal, in a normal operation period after the specific operation period. 
     
     
       8. The semiconductor device of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a memory block, 
 wherein the second internal signal includes a data signal stored in the memory block. 
 
     
     
       9. The semiconductor device of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a second pad receiving an external enable signal; 
 at least one third pad receiving at least one external control signal; and 
 an internal signal processing block generating an internal enable signal and an internal control signal that correspond to the external enable signal and the external control signal. 
 
     
     
       10. The semiconductor device of  claim 9 , wherein the monitoring unit comprises:
 a selection circuit selecting any one of the first and second internal signals based on the internal enable signal and the internal control signal, and generating a pre-output signal; and 
 an output circuit outputting the pre-output signal as the monitoring signal or the data signal based on the internal enable signal and the data width option signal. 
 
     
     
       11. The semiconductor device of  claim 10 , wherein the first internal signal includes internal signals, and the selection circuit comprises:
 a first selection section sequentially outputting the internal signals as an internal output signal based on the internal control signal; and 
 a second selection section selecting any one of the internal output signal and the second internal signal based on the internal enable signal, to output the selected signal as the pre-output signal. 
 
     
     
       12. The semiconductor device of  claim 10 , wherein the output circuit comprises:
 an output control section generating an output control signal based on the internal enable signal and the data width option signal; and 
 an output driving section outputting the pre-output signal as the monitoring signal or the data signal based on the output control signal. 
 
     
     
       13. The semiconductor device of  claim 9 , wherein the internal signal processing block comprises:
 a first buffer unit buffering the external enable signal to generate the internal enable signal; 
 a second buffer unit buffering the external control signal to generate a pre-control signal; and 
 an internal operation signal processing unit outputting the pre-control signal as the internal control signal based on the internal enable signal. 
 
     
     
       14. The semiconductor device of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 an internal voltage generation block generating an internal voltage based on an operation control signal, wherein the internal voltage generation block is initialized based on a power-up signal; and 
 a fuse block outputting a predetermined fuse signal based on a boot-up signal, 
 wherein the first internal signal includes one of the power-up signal, the operation control signal, the boot-up signal, and the fuse signal. 
 
     
     
       15. A method for driving a semiconductor device, comprising:
 receiving an external enable signal and an external control signal asynchronized with a clock signal in a specific operation period in which a clock enable signal is in an undefined state or a deactivated state, wherein the clock enable signal includes a signal for controlling the input of the clock signal; and 
 outputting a monitoring signal that corresponds to an internal signal based on the external enable signal and the external control signal, in the specific operation period. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the specific operation period includes an initialization operation and/or a boot-up operation, and
 the internal signal relates to one of the initialization operation and the boot-up operation. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 setting a data width option mode; and 
 selectively outputting the monitoring signal and a data signal through a common output path based on the data width option mode, in a normal operation period other than the specific operation period. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein, when the data width option mode is set to have a maximum data width, the semiconductor device outputs the data signal through the common output path, in the normal operation period. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17 , wherein, when the data width option mode is set to have a non-maximum data width, the semiconductor device outputs the monitoring signal through the common output path, in the normal operation period. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the semiconductor device outputs the monitoring signal through the common output path in the specific operation period.